Editing Reading Railroad (section)

== Reading Terminal ==

The Reading's most visible legacy in Philadelphia is Reading Terminal, the company's passenger station in Center City. The terminal, opened in 1893, featured an innovative design that placed the headhouse (containing waiting rooms, offices, and retail space) at street level while trains operated on an elevated train shed behind. The train shed, spanning 267 feet without interior supports, was an engineering marvel of its era and remains one of the largest single-span arched structures in the world. The headhouse, designed in the Italianate Renaissance Revival style, became a Center City landmark.<ref name="gallery">{{cite book |last=Gallery |first=John Andrew |title=Philadelphia Architecture: A Guide to the City |year=1994 |publisher=Foundation for Architecture |location=Philadelphia}}</ref>

Below the elevated train platforms, a public market had operated since 1892. Reading Terminal Market, opened a year before the station above it, provided space for farmers and food vendors to sell directly to the public. The market became a beloved Philadelphia institution, offering everything from Pennsylvania Dutch specialties to fresh produce to ethnic foods reflecting the city's diverse population. When passenger service to Reading Terminal ended in 1984 (with trains diverted to a tunnel connection to 30th Street Station), the market continued and even thrived. Today, Reading Terminal Market is one of Philadelphia's most popular attractions, drawing tourists and locals alike to its diverse food vendors.<ref name="weigley">{{cite book |last=Weigley |first=Russell F. |title=Philadelphia: A 300-Year History |year=1982 |publisher=W.W. Norton |location=New York}}</ref>